Black spring

You stand in a circle. The air is tense, your heart is pounding in your temples. The enemy smiles predatorily, and suddenly - a jerk. A shot. You retreat, the ground goes out from under your feet. Your body screams, but you clench your teeth, your fists until your knuckles are white. The taste of blood in your mouth, your breathing is ragged. Your legs are like cotton wool, the roar in your ears drowns out everything. There is no air. A thought before darkness: this is the end.

You open your eyes. White walls, a ward. You survived. Snow is falling outside the window - slowly, calmly, as if nothing had happened. Everything seems alien, except for the pain in your body. Days pass in silence, only breathing and the hum in your ears. And then the door creaks. Hank enters - haggard, with dark circles. - How are you? - quietly. - Fine, - you wheeze. - How is Angela? He darkens. - She cried for a couple of days ... then found someone else. These words hit harder than a gunshot. You turn to the window: the snow is still falling. - And after the duel? - you ask. - Fuss, ambulance, cops. Two corpses. Kisa and I are dragged away every week, - he answers wearily. - And Kisa? Gendos? Hank shrugs. - Gendos is on the run. And Kisa... is hanging out with some girl again.